Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Parallel translations
- KJV And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
- BSB Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.
- NKJV And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
- NASB Then Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
- NLT Joshua and the Israelite army fled toward the wilderness as though they were badly beaten.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Joshua and Israel pretend to be beaten and flee toward the wilderness, executing the planned ruse. The feigned defeat completes the bait.
Overview
The staged retreat carries out the strategy exactly as God had directed through Joshua. By appearing weak, Israel lures the whole force of Ai away from its defenses. This deliberate deception in lawful warfare differs from the sin of falsehood, serving instead the just judgment God had decreed on Canaan's cities.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Josh 18:12Their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan. The border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward. It ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven.
- Josh 16:1The lot came out for the children of Joseph from the Jordan at Jericho, at the waters of Jericho on the east, even the wilderness, going up from Jericho through the hill country to Bethel.
- Judg 20:36So the children of Benjamin saw that they were struck; for the men of Israel yielded to Benjamin, because they trusted the ambushers whom they had set against Gibeah.
- Josh 15:61In the wilderness, Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Joshua — the same name as Jesus, 'the LORD saves' — leads God's people into their inheritance, a shadow of the greater Joshua who brings us into the true rest and the promised land that remains.
How Joshua 8:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.